03/09/2026
Learning to Listen to Onyx
Onyx’s life has not followed the path I once imagined for him.
He has lived with chronic pain for years. I have spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money trying to rehabilitate him and searching for the thing that might finally “fix” him.
Eventually, I had to accept something much harder: Onyx may never be a horse who can be fixed.
But that does not mean he is broken.
Some days he feels good and is happy to participate in everything going on around him. On other days, his body is more sensitive and he may not want to be touched at all.
Learning to recognise and respect that has been an important part of my journey with him.
For a long time, I was focused on finding the answer. I wanted to make him better and return him to the life I thought he should have. Onyx has taught me that helping a horse does not always mean fixing everything. Sometimes it means listening carefully, accepting what they are telling us and meeting them where they are that day.
These days, one of Onyx’s most important roles is helping to teach students during our Equinology courses—and I honestly think he was made for this job.
He is an exceptional demonstration horse because he communicates so clearly. If a student hasn’t quite found the right contact or technique, he lets them know. When they slow down, listen properly and begin to understand what they are feeling beneath their hands, he lets them know that too.
He asks students to become quieter, more observant and more thoughtful with their hands.
He teaches them that bodywork is not simply about placing your hands in the correct position or following a set of instructions. It is about listening to the individual horse and being willing to adjust when that horse tells you something.
Onyx genuinely loves having students here. Some horses simply tolerate the activity of a class, but he enjoys being included and having a role. He has more good days than bad, and teaching is something that brings him to life.
He does not need to be ridden to have an important and valuable place in the world. His worth has never depended on what he can do under saddle.
Onyx may live with chronic pain, but that is only one part of who he is.
He is also a patient, honest and remarkably effective teacher who is helping to shape the hands and understanding of the next generation of equine bodyworkers.
It took me a long time to stop focusing on the life I thought Onyx should have and begin listening to what he was telling me about the life that suited him.
I am still learning to listen.
And Onyx is still teaching.
